


The birth of a family

by amamiya_toki



Series: Our family, Our home [1]
Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard, Future Card Buddyfight
Genre: M/M, Same-Sex Marriage, family au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-04
Updated: 2016-05-04
Packaged: 2018-06-06 09:49:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6748855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amamiya_toki/pseuds/amamiya_toki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the special day that is the day Tasuku was born into this world. Kai and Aichi, who have been married for a little over half a year, have been asked to take in a child as their own. Aichi is more than willing, but Kai has his own concerns about the matter. After all, raising a child was most definitely not an easy job.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The birth of a family

**Author's Note:**

> Today, 5th May 2016, is the day Tasuku was born into the world.
> 
> Aichi is twenty years old going on twenty-one, and Kai is twenty-one going on twenty-two.
> 
> The setting is the same as the Kazoku series from tumblr; read the end notes to find out more.

It has been about half a year since Kai and Aichi got married.

The wedding took place in France, at a small chapel in a town located in the countryside. Their friends, family, and close comrades were present to grace the occasion, and it was a delightful memory that all will never forget.

Kai had proposed to his beloved before he left for France, at the airport when the latter came to see him off. He promised that he would become strong, a man whom he could be proud of before returning to claim his hand in marriage.

Aichi, after graduating from Miyaji Academy, entered university with the intention of becoming a teacher. He had attended a year-long overseas exchange programme at the prestigious Yale university before returning to Japan to resume his course of study in his local university. Around this time, Shindou Chrono and the rest of his comrades were busy fighting against Myoujin Ryuuzu and his Company, in order to stop the man's ambitions. When the entire fiasco was over, the couple finally tied the knot.

Since then, the couple returned to living their normal lives in the city of Tokyo. They moved into a large three-bedroom apartment located near the Sendou family home, a gift from the people who loved and supported them. Aichi was still studying and would embark on an internship programme when spring comes. He would be returning to Miyaji Academy's High school sector as a trainee teacher, where he hopes he can continue teaching in the future.

Currently, Kai was working for the Association's main branch. After Myoujin's ambitions and evil deeds had been exposed, there were many conflicting views about the Association and Vanguard as a whole. In order to clear up the misunderstandings and help rebuild up the reputation of Vanguard, Ibuki enlisted the help of everyone he knew. Kai was more than happy to oblige. Along with his old friends and newly found comrades, Kai assisted with the Association with various matters and was also roped into being one of their representatives at events and other programmes. However, this was only a temporary arrangement: he himself had yet to decide what he wanted to do for the future.

 At the present time, the couple was having a conversation over dinner at a small ramen shop near their apartment. Kai's aunt, his mother's younger sister by more than several years, had contacted him earlier today. She was the closest relative he felt he had, but he had not seen her since his wedding with Aichi.

Because of this, Aichi was fairly surprised when he was told that she wanted to invite them over for dinner. "This weekend?"

"Yeah, on Sunday evening," Kai replied to Aichi's question between two spoons of soup. "You don't have anything planned, do you?"

"I don't, but what's the occasion? It's rare for your aunt to call out of the blue, much less invite us over for dinner."

"I'm not sure. She didn't specify much when she called. All she said was that she had something important to ask of us and that she hopes to meet us to discuss more. She sounded rather desperate and it seemed to be an urgent matter, so I agreed to hear her out."

"I see. Well, I don't think it's a bad idea?" Taking the heavy porcelain bowl in both hands and raising it to his lips, Aichi took a gulp of the rich soup. "I don't mind. I mean, no matter how important it may be, it can't be that difficult a request, can it?"

Little did Aichi know, he was going to be very wrong.

"P-P-P-Parents?!"

The two could not help but to exclaim in unison at what they have just heard.

"Yes." Kai's aunt reaffirmed what she had just asked of the couple. "It may sound strange to put it this way, but I would like the both of you to be the parents of this child."

One of her small hands were placed lovingly on her swelled abdomen, the other was held gently in her husband's.

"You see," she began her explanation, "My husband and I both work in the line of research. However, the both of us have been posted overseas and would be moving from area to area every few months or so, all over the continent and perhaps the world. We would be leaving Japan in late May, and that's about two weeks after our child is due."

"We were thinking," her husband continued. "That we want this child to be raised in Japan, just as we were. For an infant, it may be hard to adapt to different environments and groups of people and would have an impact on his development in the future.”

“That is why we hope that they both of you, Toshiki-kun and Aichi-kun, could take him in as your own child. We know that it's a selfish request to make. Even if we sponsor all the necessities and everything else, raising a child is something that not only takes time and money but requires a lot of commitment. I understand that Aichi-kun is still studying and Toshiki-kun is currently working, but we have no one else to approach."

It was the truth; Kai's grandparents on his mother's side had passed away when he was a child and his own mother, his aunt's sister, was also no longer around. In addition, her husband was an orphan whose only parent died when he was in elementary school. There was no one else they could ask or depend on to look after this child.

However, Aichi could understand the point of view that his aunt-in-law and her husband were taking. As a parent, it would be hard for them to part with their own child, especially after they had just given birth to him. But they were already thinking about his future, and what would be the best for him. He will agree to this arrangement; he would do everything he can to help them.

"We..."

Before Aichi could voice his agreement, Kai gave his reply on the behalf of the both of them. "We'll have to think about this. Please give us some time to consider."

"Toshiki-kun...?"

That reply left Aichi rather shocked. He had thought that Kai would agree to this as well. So why did he...

However, Kai's aunt seemed to understand. She nodded in acknowledgement to his response. "Of course. Take the time you need to consider before informing us of your decision."

During dinner and on the way home, not a single word was uttered between Kai and Aichi.

Ultimately, it was Aichi who broke this silence once they had returned to their apartment.

"Why did you say that to your aunt?"

Kai blinked at Aichi for two seconds, not because he did not know what he was referring to but rather to try to comprehend the reason behind asking that question. "What I said was the truth. We do need time to consider."

"Consider, what? I thought you would agree to take the child in."

"I would. But my aunt was right. Shouldn't we consider about how we are going to raise the child first, rather than simply agreeing without thinking?"

"That may be true, but..."

"Aichi, I know you would agree to take the child in without second thought because you're kind and you want to help. But this more than just helping people. Raising a child means being responsible for another human being. It means having to guide and teach him, to make sure he grows up well and properly, to prepare him for his entire life ahead. Have you made up your resolve to shoulder all of this?"

"I..."

Aichi knew that he was being stubborn and felt difficult to admit it, but Kai was right.

Kai let out a small sigh and wrapped his arms around his wife. "I want to agree to take the child in, too. But at that moment, it felt too rash to say yes without thinking it through. I hope you understand, Aichi."

"I do, Toshiki-kun. I'm sorry for being stubborn."

"It's fine. That's one of the parts of you that makes you cute."

"Please don't say such embarrassing things with that kind of face."

"Why?"

"It makes it even sound more embarrassing than it's supposed to be."

How so?"

"It just does!"

"I'm sorry, then."

"You don't look the least bit apologetic, though!"

With all considerations taken into account, Kai and Aichi made their decision. They would be taking in the Ryuuenji couple's child, and they would bring him to their home right after he was released from the hospital. However, the child would still retain his birth parents' family name as they would be returning to Japan eventually.

All their friends and close comrades somehow caught wind of the news before the couple could announce to everyone that they were going to take in a child. Initially, it was mistaken that Aichi, despite being male, was going to give birth to that child, but the misunderstanding was cleared quickly. Apparently, the information got leaked when Kai told Ibuki and Miwa when they went out drinking and Miwa was the one who told everyone else. Because he was already rather tipsy when Kai told them the news, he either misheard or misinterpreted the news. Of course, he was properly punished by Misaki afterwards for his misdeeds.

Everyone pitched in to help the couple prepare to welcome the child into their home. The third bedroom of their apartment, which had been used as storage space, was cleaned out. Since they were not sure if the child was going to be a boy or a girl, there was some debate as to how to decorate the room. After much argument and debate, it was decided that the walls would be a light creamy yellow, and everything else would match the colour of the room. The Ryuuenji couple agreed to this, and the furniture was chosen by them.

While the men did the work in order to get the room in shape, the ladies began making some plush toys for the child. Suzugamori Ren, who was kicked out of the nursery after fooling around a little too much, joined the ladies and was able to make a rather detailed green dragon plushie, much to everyone else's surprise.

In the meantime, it was decided that Kai would stay home to look after the child. During a time when he was representing the Association in a television variety programme related to cooking, he had been approached by the chief editor of a new magazine that aimed to promote fine cooking and epicurean delights amongst housewives and the common people. He agreed to take on the job on the condition that he was able to work from home, which was accepted with ease.

However, because he still had to attend occasional events for this job, as well as to participate in certain Vanguard-related events as he had promised Ibuki, they needed someone who could babysit the child just in case Aichi was also occupied. Miwa and Chrono both agreed to help, but there was one other person they had in mind whom they have not told the news to. Sendou Shizuka, Aichi's mother.

The couple would visit the Sendou household once a week on Saturdays, for dinner as well as to spend some time together. However, the issue with the child was not touched upon because they have yet to figure out how to tell her about it, until now.

"Mom, Toshiki-kun and I have something to tell you."

"Mmhmm." The woman was smiling as she sipped her tea. "Go on, dear."

"Well, the truth is..." Aichi had made up his mind to tell his mother, but it still felt awkward for some reason. "Toshiki-kun and I, we..."

"We are going to have a baby."

Seeing Aichi's struggle, Kai simply let the cat out of the bag.

It took a while for Shizuka to respond; of everything else in the world that she could be told, she probably had not expected that.

"M-Mom? Is something wrong?"

"Hmm..." Shizuka put her tea cup down daintily, raising her hand to her chin to ponder for a moment. "That's strange. Did I give birth to two daughters?"

"Mom!"

"Shizuka-san, let us explain."

"Sure. But I recall telling you to call me 'Mother', didn't I, Toshiki-kun?"

"My apologies, Shi... I mean, Mother. This is how it all happened..."

After listening to what had led up to the events of them taking in the child, Shizuka nodded in understanding. "I see. It's no problem, I don't mind helping to care for the child. Why, I'll even love him as if he was my own grandchild."

"Really? Thanks, mom!"

"Although, it was never in my plans to be a grandparent this young... I wonder what your father will say when I tell him that he's going to have a grandson soon."

"Dad would probably faint again, I guess?"

That was exactly what happened when he had returned home to Japan and was told that his son was going to get married, and to another man at that. Well, after the initial shock, the man insisted on meeting his son's future groom. When he finally had the chance to meet Kai, he found him to be a good and reliable person and gave them his blessings.

"You don't have to worry about your father; he would probably be the kind of grandparent who would dote on the child," Kai assured Aichi, speaking as if he could completely understand his father-in-law's feelings.

"I guess so. But mom, how are you so sure that the child would be a boy? Even we don't know which the child would be."

"Don't underestimate a mother's instincts, my dear."

"Hah..." The couple exchanged a glance.

"I get the feeling you may end up saying that quite often in the future too, Aichi."

"I hope I don't, Toshiki-kun."

"Oh, by the way. The both of you don't know how to properly care for a child, right?"

“Ah.” That was one thing that did not come to their minds: how to actually look after the child, as in the specifics and the methods in doing so. "We... don't..."

"Well, then. Looks like Mama Shizuka would have to teach you boys a few things. Especially you, Toshiki-kun! You're going to be my adorable grandson’s primary caretaker, I will make sure that you would be well-trained and prepared! Ohohoho!"

Seeing that weird switch flip in the woman, the couple could not help but to fear the worst.

"I-I'll be in your care...?"

Aichi could only pat his husband on the shoulder as a sign of his support. "Do your best, Toshiki-kun!"

The countdown towards the child's birth date grew closer, from months to weeks, and later mere days. To Kai and Aichi, the wait was making the both of them excited yet anxious. In a way, they would finally become parents; there was so much to worry about, and just as much to look forward to.

Golden Week came once again, and during this time, Aichi spent more time with his aunt-in-law to spend more time with her.

And when they finally got the call on the Thursday morning of that week, which also happened to be Children's Day, it was still very dark out; there a while until sunrise. As soon as they heard that Kai's aunt was in labour they rushed to the hospital as soon as they could, being able to find a taxi at hour felt like a true blessing.

When they arrived, both husband and wife were in the delivery room. Kai and Aichi waited outside patiently, praying for the child's safe delivery.

It was only as the sun had begun to rise over the horizon that they could finally hear the sharp cries of a newborn child: a healthy baby boy had been born into the world

A name had been decided for the child. The boy would be called 'Tasuku', as it was the wish of his parents for the child to grow up to be able to help others, as well as to be able to be humble in accepting help offered by others. This name was also a symbol of their gratitude to Kai and Aichi for their kindness.

When Kai and Aichi were brought to see the child, both had rather different reactions. Aichi glanced upon the child with sparkling eyes and became speechless. On the other hand, Kai was doing his best to hold back from laughing out loud.

"I knew people said that newborns look like monkeys, but this is just..."

"Toshiki-kun! It's rude to laugh like that!"

In the end, the only reason why the both of them reacted the way they did was due to the fact that they found the child so terribly adorable. Upon seeing this sight, Kai's aunt and her husband could tell that their child would definitely be in good hands, loved with warm hearts and surrounded by smiles and cheer.

When the time came for Kai and Aichi to bring the child to his home, it was the start of a new chapter in their lives and in their relationship. They were now parents, and this was the birth of their happy little family.

No matter what happened from that day onwards, they would always support each other. As long as they are together, there is nothing they cannot overcome.

**[OUR FAMILY, OUR HOME "The birth of a family" END]**

**Author's Note:**

> For those who have followed me on tumblr, you may be familiar with the Kazoku series, which is a collection of short stories about Kai, Aichi and Tasuku as a family. This is the first step into the revamping of the series, now renamed as "Our home, our family" and will be posted here on AO3 instead of the blog.
> 
> More details about the revamp can be found on my writing blog here: http://leucoium.tumblr.com/post/143873551548/
> 
> Until next time!  
> \-- Amamiya Toki  
> 2016.05.05


End file.
